Once the celebrations of Christmas and New Year have fizzled off, and you come to terms with the weight you’ve put on and the fact the holidays are over, February can be a pretty shitty month. Instead of looking forward to a month full of drinking without having to worry too much about what other people think, eating as much as you want and spending time with friends and family, all that awaits us is another round of work, misery and a fucking tax return to fill in.

Well, this show could not have come soon enough. A TDR show is always welcome to us all, but at this time of year it is always good to see some friendly faces, and have an excuse to put a few brews away.

Props to the team for putting on the night, the sound was great and it was a good choice of bands for the first show of the year, and I am damn sure that it’ll be setting the precedent for another year of triumph for the alternative music scene in the island. I think that Chris and Soraya should also be recognised by the States of Jersey for their exceptional diplomatic efforts, as they continue to strengthen international relations between us and our close island territories - seeing bands from Guernsey over here is great. There are a lot of great bands in Guernsey and getting some exposure over here can only be a win-win situation.

Sick Men can do no wrong, even if they’ve been drinking heavily the night before a set it seems. It has been a while since I’ve caught the thunderous two piece, but Adam and Joe never fail to put on a show and despite being the first band on there was no hesitation to put all of the energy that they had into the set.

Amongst some tracks that fans of the duet will no doubt be familiar with, there were some tracks that I do not think have heard the light of the stage before. They did not disappoint. Not unlike their other material, these newer compositions were original, quirky, yet catchy in their own way.

I really hope that these two fellas get around to recording some material soon because I sure wouldn’t be opposed to spinning their stuff whilst making my late morning coffee on a Saturday morning. Sick Men are definitely offering something up that you’d have to really search for anywhere else - come to their next show if you’ve not seen them already!

I’ve never caught Zoohair before, and I have to say that I hope it isn’t too long before I see them out again.

The three piece provided a great set of tracks that were grungy in all the right places, whilst also delivering all the punchy moments that it needed to. There was a good flow of energy with the band. The music was spot on and well rehearsed and demanded nothing more of the vocal delivery.

It’s the kind of music that is well suited to a Saturday night where all you really want to do is forget about the crappy week you’ve just had, have a few drinks and catch up with some friends. Perfectly suited for tapping your foot whilst sipping on a cold one, which is exactly what I did when catching Zoohair’s set. Definitely the audience's time.

I’m yet to be disappointed by a band that has come over from Guernsey, and Lifejacket are testament to the fact that there is a lot of good things happening over there when it comes to making good, loud noise. Fair play Guernsey.

I’d heard a few tracks from their Soundcloud before, previewing their hot latest release ‘Let’s get this out of our system and move on’. This is a good release from our friend across the water, and you can even check it out yourself now (you have no excuse, it is everywhere from iTunes through to Spotify). Probably a highlight of mine is ‘Meanwhile in Hollywood’, cracking track that one.

Lifejacket certainly live up to their name, inasmuch as their music is buoyant, robust and would probably fare well on the high seas of the English Channel. Their tracks are lively and full of energy, where the guitar, bass and vocals are pinned tightly together by an absolutely belting drummer, who never seemed to run out of steam.

This was another band that I’ve not caught live, and another band that I’ll be doing my best to catch again in the near future. Fingers crossed for this three piece, because I think that with their raw energy and execution, they’ve definitely got many great things coming their way.

Rounding It All Up

This was another great night from all involved. Both the TDR crew and the bands hit the target, and delivered exactly what I think is needed.

It is really important that these gigs keep happening, because there is just so much talent in these small islands.

See you all soon. It could be the last time with the likes of BAST, Byzanthian Neckbeard, Masticated and those miserable bastards in Hank Chinaski. It is going to be a fucking heavy one.